Own less. Live more. Finding minimalism in a world of consumerism.

Matt’s Story

We love sharing stories of regular people choosing to live a minimalist life. Recently, Matt shared his story with us through our Share Your Story page. We hope it encourages you in your minimalist journey.

I got robbed.

That’s a little unconventional, right?

I’ll skip all the bitter details save for the one that counts: standing in the middle of my room, eying the piles of papers, boxes, and things thrown about, a thought comes to me: “Holy hell, I have a lot of crap.”

That little light bulb moment changed my life.

I’ve always had a lot of stuff. Middle-class lifestyle, generous funding from doting parents, etc. Add on to that my innate tendency to hoard things for future use, and what do you make from the mix? A dude with lots of video games, movies, books and toys, and one small bedroom in constant need of organization.

I decided to change. I cleaned my room, piece by piece, and started making piles. Stuff to keep. Stuff to toss. The former is bigger than it should be, but the latter is growing all the time. My room, once difficult to just walk through, now might be the cleanest it’s ever been.

I know that the core concepts of minimalism go beyond just downsizing the endless mess, but I’m pretty pleased with the progress I’ve made so far. Even the act of trimming the fat has helped me focus on what’s really important in my life: my friends, my family, the opportunities to step outside my room and explore the world beyond. Those are the things that can’t be stolen from me, and those are the things that helped me bounce right back after coming home one evening and finding my apartment broken into.

One step at a time, right?

Thank you for sharing your story with us Matt. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the steps along the way.

Yea Matt. Get your facts straight. You were burglarized into a lifestyle change, not robbed into it! : ) And good for you. A friend and I used to joke that if we died suddenly and the police had to be summoned, they would automatically think it was a crime scene. And while things have changed, not enough. I find keeping the head of steam is the challenge. So maybe I’ll have my good friend come by and burglarize me occasionally while I’m out. I don’t want to have to experience the real thing, but the motivation might help.